Bruce Markusen's Cooperstown Confidential for April 11. "The Devil Rays really have little to lose in signing John Rocker, a possibility that has been rumored this week. It’s not like Rocker would disrupt any kind of 'winning chemistry'—because there simply isn’t any at Tropicana Field, despite Lou Piniella’s early attempts to build something to the contrary." (Baseball Primer)

Joe Dimino and Aaron Gleeman analyze the 2003 Yankees. "[Nick] Johnson was terrible against [LHP] last year (.175/.316/.302), but if he’s going to be the regular first baseman, he needs to learn how to hit them, and he’s not going to get that experience on the bench. I realize the Yankees are trying to win the World Series, but the team needs to think long-term as well." (Baseball Primer)

Jayson Stark: "The question of whether the 1991-2002 Braves were a dynasty or the Buffalo Bills is one we've all debated a trillion times. But nobody is more tired of that debate than the Braves themselves. So maybe, if this is the year the Braves are no longer expected to win, that also means no one can accuse them of 'failing' (or pick your own favorite verb here) if they don't." Well, they did win one championship, so they're less like the Bills and more like the Ditka-era Bears or the Dr.J-era Sixers. (ESPN.com)

Red Sox finally pick up Pedro's 2004 option. "After negotiations in spring training failed to fold the option into a longer deal, the team decided it was worth the risk of injury to have Martinez's mind clear of distractions during the season." (ESPN.com)

Nate Silver: "[T]he price of Pedro's propriety is around $2.3 million bucks. While I'm not quite as down on the deal as Joe [Sheehan] is, that's a lot to pay for goodwill." (Baseball Prospectus)